It’s been a good couple of weeks at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium! An endangered clouded leopard gave birth to a healthy cub on Wednesday, May 1, and, on Wednesday, April 17, an endangered Sumatran tiger gave birth to a female cub.
“We are delighted with the birth of this cub,” said zoo general curator Karen Goodrowe Beck. “Clouded leopards are very endangered and every one is a precious addition to the population.”
The cub is the third litter born to Chai Li and her mate Nah Fun. The leopard was born at about 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, is being bottle-fed and will be hand-reared by zoo staff with extensive experience in the care of these exotic cats. This is routine for the species and has produced the best results in terms of health and well-being of newborn clouded leopard cubs.
In the meantime the endangered Sumatran tiger cub continues to thrive and gain weight. The female cub, who was about 2.5 pounds at birth, now weighs 6.2 pounds. Zoological staff are hand-rearing her because she was not getting the milk and attention she needed from her mother, 10-year-old Jaya. The father is Malosi, who came from Honolulu Zoo last year as part of an approved breeding program through the Species Survival Plan for Sumatran tigers.
“Sumatran tigers are highly endangered,” said Goodrowe Beck. “There are only 74 in North American zoos and approximately 200 in zoos around the world. Only about 250 to 300 remain in their native habitat on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.”
Watch this YouTube video of the little darling taking a snooze.
Neither cub has a name yet. The zoo will announce how and when they will be named and when visitors will be able to see them. To keep abreast of the most up-to-date information about Point Defiance Zoo babies, visit www.pdza.org.
